Subjective effects include stimulation, anxiety suppression, disinhibition, enhanced empathy and sociability, relaxation, and euphoria. It is classified as an entactogen due to how it facilitates feelings of closeness with one’s self and others. A notable property of MDMA is that tolerance builds unusually quickly and many users report that it dramatically loses effectiveness if used on a frequent basis. Almost all the chemicals in Molly and other synthetic drugs come from laboratories in China. Chinese chemists sell the drugs online, and middle men in the United States and around the world cut it with other substances and either place it in capsules or sell it as powder. Other kinds of synthetic drugs can be sprayed onto plant material and smoked, such as synthetic marijuana.
Adverse effects
While serotonin is a neurotransmitter, it’s also known as “the happy hormone” as it plays a central role in regulating well-being. MDMA is a psychedelic compound that is structurally similar to amphetamine, a stimulant that accelerates activity in certain regions of the brain, and mescaline, a hallucinogen. In more concrete terms, the drug has a unique touchy-feely pharmacological profile that increases feelings of emotional empathy, closeness with others, and prosocial behavior. MDMA exerts a unique set of effects on the brain that enable it to treat diverse mental illnesses, such as anxiety, depression, and PTSD.
We are not a substitute for medical, psychological, or psychiatric diagnosis, treatment, or advice. If you are in a crisis or if you or any other person may be in danger or experiencing a mental health emergency, immediately call 911 or your local emergency molly drug wiki resources. If you are considering suicide, please call 988 to connect with the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
Your health, weight, the amount you’ve taken, and other drugs used with ecstasy can all play a role. These differences can cause a person to react differently to the effects of ecstasy when on the drug and coming down from it. Popular with young people since the 1980s, raves are parties often held in locations such as warehouses, nightclubs, and fields. Lasting all night, these events feature dancing to techno (a type of electronic music) amidst laser light shows and often involve illicit drug use, especially ecstasy. People who identify as heterosexual males accounted for over half of ecstasy users compared with 28% of people who identify as heterosexual females, according to a 2023 study.
- Quaaludes were described as the « …other quintessential 1970s club drug », which suspends motor coordination. »39) According to Peter Braunstein, « massive quantities of drugs were ingested in discothèques. »
- Bisexual females made up about 10% of ecstasy users compared with gay males (4.6%), bisexual males (3.6%), and lesbian females (1.7%).
- Many of these qualities have been identified as therapeutically significant too, with clinicians researching how to harness these properties to treat a range of mental health disorders.
- Lasting all night, these events feature dancing to techno (a type of electronic music) amidst laser light shows and often involve illicit drug use, especially ecstasy.
- The drug became popular again in the mid-1980s and 1990s rave and EDM scenes.
Molly Side Effects
But, consumers also face the additional risk of drinking water excessively to combat the drug’s effects on body temperature. Water intoxication is very serious, causing seizures, unconsciousness, confusion, and death in severe cases. It occurs when you consume more water than your body can properly eliminate in a short period.
Ketamine risks
Yet, while the overall experience is shorter than most psychedelics, the aftereffects of molly can continue for the next week. Depression, anxiety, mood instability, and fatigue are all common, reportedly for up to one week after taking recreational molly. Although, these side effects may worsen when molly is mixed with other substances. To combat this, many people take 5-Hydroxy-Tryptophan (5-HTP), which is a direct precursor to serotonin in the brain and which clinical studies have shown to relieve the symptoms of depression. However, if you do wish to take 5-HTP, do so only after rolling, as taking it beforehand could be fatal due to serotonin syndrome (a condition we discuss later in this story).
When purchased illicitly, MDMA theoretically comes in pressed pills, powder, or crystals, with the average dose being about 85 and 125 milligrams. But, the drug’s illegal status makes it very difficult for consumers to know the exact dosage of MDMA they’re taking. Instead, it is often misrepresented as MDMA (while actually being another substance like methylone or methamphetamine), or otherwise often cut with other substances, unwittingly or not. For the average person, there’s no telling what these impurities might be without a drug testing kit.
Ecstasy directly affects the levels of neurotransmitters in your brain, including serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine. MDMA (an abbreviation of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine), also called “Molly” or “Ecstasy,” is a lab-made (synthetic) drug that has effects similar to stimulants like methamphetamine. It is typically sold illicitly as colorful tablets with imprinted logos, capsules, powder, or liquid. Some researchers and organizations consider MDMA to be a psychedelic drug because it can also mildly alter visual and time perception. MDMA’s effects may include feeling more energetic and alert and having an increased sense of well-being, warmth, and openness toward others. But, there’s something important to know before procuring molly off the street.
Even small doses of ecstasy can harm your mental, physical, or emotional well-being. Molly is dangerous because of the toxic mix of unknown chemicals; users have no idea what they’re taking or at what dose. Unlike MDMA and other illegal drugs that have known effects on the body, the formulas for these synthetic drugs keep changing, and they’re manufactured with no regard to how they affect the user. Current evidence suggests that ecstasy may increase the likelihood of developing serotonin syndrome, which can occur with spikes of the neurotransmitter serotonin.
Ecstasy
Over the course of three months, patients receive MDMA three different times. They’ll spend each eight-hour MDMA session with a licensed therapist and another trained clinician and many more hours debriefing in the days and weeks afterward. Once the high wears off, people often experience devastating depression.
Read more of Leafly’s guide to psychedelics
In some cases, the dealer has intentionally substituted a less expensive, more available illegal drug for another drug. In other cases, the substitution was made by a higher-level drug cartel or organization, and the dealer may in fact believe that the bogus product is MDMA or LSD. Throughout the 1980s, the use of club drugs expanded into colleges, social parties, and raves.
The more you mix and match, the more likely you are to end up with a drug cocktail that comes hand-in-hand with severe side effects. It also makes it more difficult to know which substance is causing the biggest problem; side effects could come from having a bunk supply of MDMA, or they could be caused by overdose or an unsafe drug combination. When you’re dancing or engaged in another strenuous activity, getting a little hot and sweaty is expected.
MDMA has moderate to high abuse potential but a conversely low potential for a genuine psychological dependence or addiction which appears even lower than cannabis (lower than 10%). Interestingly, MDMA’s potential for overuse and dependence or addiction can actually be greatly influenced by certain geographical components such as in other cultures or subcultures similarly to ketamine. Although ketamine‘s addiction potential is still notably higher across various cultures then compared to MDMA.
It is thought that MDMA’s metabolites play a large role in the uncertain levels of neurotoxicity. For example, a metabolite of MDMA called alpha-Methyldopamine (α-Me-DA, which is known to be toxic to dopamine neurons7518) was thought believed to be involved in the toxicity of MDMA to serotonin receptors. Conversations around consent are important in recreational and festival settings.
Although the previously mentioned drugs are generally categorized as club drugs by the media and the United States government, this distinction probably does not have an accurate correlation to real usage patterns. For example, alcoholic beverages (beer, wine, hard liquor) are generally not included under the category of club drugs, even though they are probably used more than any other drug at clubs, particularly those that are liquor-licensed nightclubs or bars. Ecstasy should not be taken with other substances such as alcohol, cocaine, or marijuana, as doing so increases health risks. As with other stimulants, the chronic use of MDMA can be considered moderately addictive with a high potential for abuse and is capable of causing psychological dependence among certain users. When addiction has developed, cravings and withdrawal effects may occur if one suddenly stops their usage.